"Long live the motherland" is the favorite phrase of Xu Jirong, the last surviving veteran in Jinghai district, Tianjin, of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).

The 104-year-old raised his hand in a sharp military salute, a gesture he has performed throughout his life.

Born in 1921 in Datun village, Daqiuzhuang town, Xu joined the war at the age of 16. He fought in fierce battles against Japanese forces, sustaining a bayonet wound to the neck during close combat, according to his son-in-law, Ren Shaoqian.

In one campaign, Xu was buried under a collapsed bunker and trapped for three days before being rescued. Only three men from his regiment survived. He recalled using a wheelbarrow to collect the bodies of his fallen comrades one by one.

Xu still folds his handkerchief into neat squares, a military habit he has never abandoned. "It is my lifelong wish that the country be prosperous and the people live in peace and contentment," he said.

His son, Xu Zhenkuan, said the family's military tradition runs deep. Of five siblings, all aspired to serve in the armed forces. One brother spent eight years in the South Sea Fleet, while Xu himself served 13 years with Tianjin Fire And Rescue. Other relatives have served in the navy and fire services as well.

According to local authorities, Jinghai district is home to one veteran of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), 14 veterans of the War of Liberation (1946-49), and 15 veterans of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53). More than 1,000 people from the area died defending the country.

Liu Lili and Chen Yijun contributed to this story.